Philippine Tourism News

The Manila Metropolitan Cathedral or the Cathedral - Basilica of the Immaculate Conception has long been a venue for high profile weddings. A number of Filipino films have also chosen the church as one of its location settings because of its beautiful structure and the history that goes with it.

The grand church structure is described as Neo-Romanesque-Byzantine and is actually the eighth of a long series of churches built on the exact same spot. The present structure is like a phoenix that rises from the ashes of the ruins of the previous churches that has been destroyed by the heavy bombing during the World War II. The cathedral started as a church that is made of nipa constructed in 1571, the same year that Miguel Lopez de Legaspi took claim of Manila. Ten years later, the church became the first Episcopal seat of the Philippines by virtue of the order of Pope Gregory XIII. Four centuries later, the cathedral was elevated to the stature of basilica minore. This time it was by virtue of a Papal Bull issued by Pope John Paul II after his visit to the country in 1981.

Dominating the facade of the cathedral is the main portal made of eight bronze panels by Italian sculptors Alessandro Monteleone and Francesco Nagni. Each panel measures 1.8 meters wide by 4.24 meters. The door, made of cast bronze, displays artistic relief representations of the important episodes of the history of the cathedral. The eight panels of the two smaller doors on both sides of the main door portray the liturgical invocations to Mary. The main altar of the Manila Cathedral is a tribute to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception with German artist Toni Fielder’s impressive frontispiece. The half-orange dome is the dominant feature of the cathedral. It is the work of artist Galo Ocampo and gave the church interior a dramatic lighting effect. The church’s pulpit features the four evangelists of the New Testament Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The bronze reliefs are made by Luigi Scirocchi. The Manila Cathedral boasts of a crypt that is located below the main altar. The remains of four past Archbishops of Manila lie in state here. A three-subject mosaic that shows the Lord’s agony on His way to Calvary, the meeting of Mary and Jesus on the way to Golgotha and the Crucifixion is the focal point of the crypt. The Episcopal Throne is the seat of the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Manila and is located at the left side of the main altar. The throne is made of marble from Carrara, Spain and features an escutcheon of the late Archbishop Rufino J. Cardinal Santos, the first Filipino Cardinal. It was under his initiative that the present Manila Cathedral was reconstructed after its destruction during the World War II in 1945.

Indeed, the Manila Metropolitan Cathedral has come a long way and it has remained a center for many religious activities.

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